Gas drier



' P. E. GELDHOF Aug. 1, 1950 GAS DRIER s Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 10,1946 fizz E171??? Pel'er'E'dualu'eldliaf Ooooooooooodoooooooo Aug. 1,1950 P. E. GELDHOF ,5

GAS DRIER Filed June 10, 1946 3 Sheets-Sheet 2- Patented Aug. 1, 1950UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GAS DRIER Peter Eduard Geldhof, St. Joseph,Mich, minor to Nineteen Hundred Corporation, St. Joseph. Micln, acorporation of New York Application June 10, 1946, Serial No. 875,537

14 Claims.

This invention relates to a gas drier, and more particularly to a small,compact unitary clothes and article drier of the type which is suitablefor ordinary household use in conjunction with any laundry machine orwashing apparatus and which derives its heat from a gas burner withinthe device.

One type of clothes drier for household use includes a rotating drumthrough which heated air is circulated.

It is one of the principal features and objects of the present inventionto provide a novel clothes drier of this general category which givesgreatly improved results with a minimum expenditure of energy.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide novel meansfor heating and circulating air in a clothes or article drier.

It is a still further object of the present invention to provide ahorizontally rotating drumtype drier having novel structural featuresand air heating means.

Another and further object of the present invention is to provide novelair heating means for a clothes or other article drier in which theproducts of a combustion burner are utilized to heat the air whichcirculates over the clothes or other articles.

Another and still further object of the present invention is to providea novel clothes drier having heating means of the air tube heater class.

The novel features which I believe to be characteristic of my inventionare set forth with particularity in the appended claims. My inventionitself, however, both as to its organization, manner of construction.and methodof operation, together with further objects and advantagesthereof, may be best understood by reference to the followingdescription taken in connection with the acompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is an isometric view of the front of a clothes drier embodyingthe novel features and principles of the. present invention;

Figure 2 is an isometric view of the rear of the clothes drier shown inFigure 1;

Figure 3 is an enlarged vertical sectional view of the clothes drier astaken along the line III-III of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a rear vertical sectional view of the clothes drier as takenalong the line IV-IV of Figure 3; and

Figure 5 is a still further enlarged fragmentary sectional view of theheating means of the clothes drier as taken along the line V-V of Figure3.

The clothes drier Hi illustrated in the various figures of the drawingsis of the size commonly employed for household use and includes acabinet ll having a clothes door I2 mounted in the front wall thereof. Aplurality of air intake holes II for the air which is to be circulatedover the clothes are provided in the rear wall of the cabinet ll, whilethe door 12 is provided with louvers ll for permitting escape of the airafter it has passed over the clothes.

As may be seen best in Figure 3 of the drawings, a rotating drum I5 ismounted within the cabinet H for rotation about a horizontal axis and isarranged to be driven by a motor it through belt drives l1 and II in amanner presently to be described.

The cabinet ll of the drier it is provided with an opening in the frontwall thereof opposite the drum l5 as defined by a circular flange It.The drum l5 has an imperforate peripheral wall 2|, a rear wall 2! and aforward wall 22.. The forward wall 22 has a central opening thereinwhich is defined by a forwardly turned lip or flange 22. This forwardlyturned lip or flange 23 of the drum I5 is disposed radially outwardly ofthe flange II. In order to provide a seal between the open end of thedrum is and the front wall of the cabinet II, the flange 23 carries afelt ring 24 which is secured to the flange 23 in any suitable mannersuch as by angle clips 2!. As may be seen in Figure 3, the felt ring 24extends beyond the forward end of the flange 22 into engagement with anoffset shoulder 26 in the front wall of the cabinet II.

It will thus be understood that while the drum I5 rotates with respectto the cabinet I II, a reasonably good air seal is provided between. theopening in the front wall 22 of the drum is and the front wall of thecabinet II.

The door I2 is mounted on concealed hinges (not shown) which may be ofany suitable form. and is arranged to be seated on the offset shoulder26. This enables the outer face of the door I2 to lie substantiallyflush with the front wall 21 of the cabinet II.

The door l2 in addition to the grilled front I4 is provided with aperforated rear panel 2| which is removably secured by bayonet pins 2|to a rearwardly extending flange 20 on the door l2. Removably mounted onspring fingers II in the space between the grill I4 and the perforatedrear panel 22 is a screen 32 which separates lint and dust from the airbefore it is ejected back into the room.

The rear wall 2| of the drum I5 is provided with a relatively largecentral opening as defined by the rearwardly turned flange 33. Mountedin this opening is a screen or perforated panel member 34, the member 34being provided with a rearwardly turned peripheral flange 35 for nestedengagement with the flange 33. As will presently be pointed out, heatedair is passed through the perforated rear panel member 34, then throughthe drum I and finally out through the clothes door I2.

Before the heating and air circulating means is described in detail,reference will be made to the manner in which the drum I5 is supportedand rotated. Referring particularly to Figures 3 and 4 of the drawings,the drum I5 is mounted on a pedestal 36 which is in the form of anupstanding tubular member 31 secured to a pair of diverging legs 36. Thediverging legs 38 are made of a single channel-shaped bracket which iswrapped around the tubular member 31 and welded or otherwise suitablysecured thereto. In addition to the pair of diverginglegs 38, anadditional pair of legs is provided by a plate member 39 which extendlaterally from the post 31. This plate 39 is welded or otherwisesuitably secured to the post 31. It will thus be undenstood from thisdescription that the legs 38 and 39 provide a rigid base for therotating assembly, it being observed in particular that the legs 38extend out well beneath the drum I5.

A bearing support sleeve 46 is seated on the top of the post 31, thelatter being cut away so as to fit snugly around a portion of the sleeve46. The sleeve 46 may be welded or otherwise suitably secured to the topof the post 31.

Within the tubular sleeve 46 is disposed a bearing sleeve 4|.

The rotating drum I5 is provided with a frame or spider across its rearwall 2| which is in the form of three radially extending supporting arms42, 43 and 44. These arms 42, 43 and 44 are secured to a hub 45 which,in turn, is mounted on and secured to a shaft 46. The shaft 46 extendsrearwardly from the hub 45 through the bearing sleeve 4| to a point inclose proximity to the rear wall 41 of the cabinet II. The rear portionof the shaft 46 is of slightly reduced diameter and has secured on itsouter end a drive pulley 48. Between the bearing support- .ing sleeve 46and the pulley 48 is a fan hub 49 which includes a pulley portion 56'having a V-groove in its outer peripheral surface for receiving the beltI1. The fan hub 49 is rotatably mounted on the shaft 46, and if desired,a suitable lubricating ring 5| may be provided. The fan hub 49 includesa plurality of radially extending fan blades 52. These fan blades 52 areso shaped that upon rotation thereof in a predetermined direction, airis drawn in through the openings I3 in the rear wall 41 of the cabinetII and circulated forwardly.

The motor I6 is mounted in a bracket 53 on the floor 54 of the cabinetII., The armature shaft 55 of the motor I6 has a drive pulley 56 securedthereon in another bracket or pedestal 51. An intermediate pulley 58 isrotatably mounted on a stub shaft 59 which, in turn, is secured by a nut66 to the pedestal 51. The pulley member 58 includes a pulley portion 6|of relatively large dimeter and a pulley portion 62 of relatively smalldiameter. The pulley portion 6| of the intermediate pulley member 58,the pulley portion 56 of the fan hub 49, and the motor drive pulley 56all lie in the same plane and have the drive belt I1 tightly securedtherearound as may be seen in Figure 4 of the drawings. The pulleyportion 62 of the pulley member 58 and the drum drive pulley 48 lie inthe same plane and have the belt II secured tightly therearound (as maybe seen in Figure 4).

From the relationship of the pulleys, it will be apparent that with themotor I6 driven at one speed, the drum I5 is rotated at low speed whilethe fan 52 is rotated at high speed.

The particular shape and form of the arms 42, 43 and 44 which form thesupporting spider for the drum I5 forms no part of the presentinvention, and for that reason will not be described in detail. Asshown, they are made up of sheet metal parts. The interior of the drumI5 is provided 'with three radially inwardly extending ribs which areU-shape in transverse cross-section. These ribs 63 are provided forcausing clothes or other articles to be tumbled in the drum I5 uponrotation of the drum I5 by the motor I6.

One of the principal features of novelty of the present invention liesin the manner in which the air is heated and. circulated. As may be seenbest in Figures 4 and 5 of the drawings, a gas heater 64 is mounted onlegs 65 which extend upwardly from the base plate 54 of the cabinet II.The heater 64 includes a casting 66 having a combustion chamber 61.Rising from the combustion chamber 61 in the casting 66 is an invertedU-shaped heating chamber 68, transversely through which a large numberof air pipes 69 extend (see Figures 3 and 5). The U-shaped chamberportion 68 is closed at its end 16 which is removed from the combustionchamber 61. A baflle plate H is formed to divide a portion of thechamber 68 into two parts, and in effect, is.designed to cause the gasesof combustion from the combustion chamber 61 to pass completely aroundthe inverted C-shaped chamber 68 and then back up in a reverse pathportion 12 before they pass out the flue or stack 13.

In order to improve the draft, a hole 14 is preferably provided throughthe baffle immediately opposite the lower end of the stack 13.

A gas burner 15 is mounted in the lower part of the combustion chamber61. This burner 15 may be of any conventional gas burner type and isunder the control of a manually operated gas valve control shaft 16which extends through the side wall 11 of the housing II. An air hole 18is provided in the wall 11 immediately above the .control shaft 16, andan air hole 19 is provided in the casting 66 opposite the air hole 18 inthe housing II. The air heating tubes 69 are the tubes through which theair is forced by the fan 52 into the rotating drum I5. As the air passesthrough the tubes 69, it is heated so that hot air is blown into thedrum I5.

In order to further assist in the heating operation, and in order'totake the heat from the flue gases, the casting 66 is provided with alarge number of fins 86 around the outer surface of the U, and aplurality of fins 8| are provided around the exterior surface of theinner side of the U. These fins 86 and 8| are enclosed at their outerends by a shroud member 82 which is secured to the casting 66 by screws83 and 84. These flns 86 and II, in conjunction with the shroud member82, provide additional air passageways through which air driven by thefan 52 may pass to the drum I5.

illwtion with the air circulating means, provides eflicient method andconstruction for heating and directing it through the rotating drum of aclothes drier. It further provides a structure which is economical tomanufacture and which is mailed and reliable in use.

While I have shown a particular embodiment of my invention, it will, ofcourse, be understood that I do not wish to be limited thereto, sincemany modifications may be made, and I, therefore. contemplate by theappended claims to cover allsuch modifications as fall within the truespirit of-my invention.

Iclaim as my invention:

1-, In an article drier including a support and a drum rotatably mountedon said support and having ends through which air may circulate, theimprovement which comprises an air tube furnace mounted opposite one endof said drum, said furnace including a large number of tubular airpassageways extending therethrough in a directlon substantially parallelto the axis of rotation of said drum and having one end of said beinglocated in close proximity to said drum and at least in part oppositethe opening in one of said end walls. a plurality of open-ended tubesextending transversely through said flue in the region where said fluelies opposite the opening in said one end of said drum, and means forcirculating air through said tubes and then through said drum.

6. In an article drier including a support and a drum rotatably mountedon said support, havpassageways disposed in close proximity to andteriorly of said furnace, said tubes being disposed substantiallyparallel to the axis of rotation of said drum having open ends in closeproximity to and facing one end of said drum, and means for circulatingair through said tubes and then through said drum.

3. In an article drier including a support and a drum rotatably mountedon said support and having openings in the ends thereof, the improvementwhich comprises a heating unit including a burner and a stack forconducting the combustion gases away therefrom, said heating unitincluding a plurality of passageways extending transversely through saidstack and opening only exteriorly of said stack, one open end of saidpassageways being disposed in close proximity to and facing one of saidends of said drum, and means for circulating air through saidpassageways and through so id drum.

4. In an article drier including a support and a, drum rotatably mountedon said support and having ends with openings therein through which airmay circulate, the improvement which comprises a heating unit mountedopposite one end of said drum, said heating unit including a burnerchamber having a burner therein and a fine leading therefrom, said fluebeing located in close proximity to said drum and opposite said one endof said drum, a plurality of open-ended tubes extending transverselythrough said flue and having one set of open ends facing said one end ofsaid drum, and means for circulating air through said tubes into saiddrum.

5. In an article drier including a support and a drum rotatably mountedon said support, having an imperforate periphery and having a centralopening in each of the end walls thereof, the improvement whichcomprises a heating unit mounted on said support, said heating unitincluding a burner chamber having a burner therein and a flue leadingtherefrom, said flue ing cylindrical end wall portions, said cylindricalwall portion being imperforate and each of said end walls having acentral opening therein, the improvement which comprises a heating unitmounted on said support, said heating unit including a burner chamberhaving a burner therein and a flue leading therefrom, said flueincluding an inverted U-shaped portion lying opposite the opening in oneend wall portion of said drum, and a plurality of open-ended tubesextending transversely through said inverted U-shaped portion of saidflue, and means for circulating air through said tubes and then throughsaid drum.

'7. In an article drier including a support and a drum rotatably mountedon said support and having ends with openings therein through which airmay circulate, the improvement which comprises a heating unit mountedopposite one end of said drum, said heating unit including a burnerchamber having a burner therein and a flue leading therefrom, said flueincluding a triple-path portion wherein flue gases are directed firstupwardly, then downwardly and finally upwardly again, a plurality ofopen-ended tubes extending transversely through said triple-path portionof said flue, said tubes having one set of open ends facing said one endof said drum, and means for circulating air through said tubes and intosaid drum.

8. In an article drier including a support and a drum rotatably mountedon said support and having ends with openings therein through which airmay circulate, the improvement which comprises a heating unit mountedopposite one end of said drum, said heating unit including a burnerchamber having a burner therein and a flue leading therefrom, said fluebeing located in close proximity to said drum and opposite said one endof said drum, a plurality of open-ended tubes extending transverselythrough said fine and having one set of open ends facing said one end ofsaid drum, said flue having a plurality of fins on the exterior surfaceof said flue, said fins lying in planes extending parallel to the axisof rotation of said drum, and means for circulating air through saidtubes into said drum and also between said flns and into said drum.

9. In an article drier including a support and a drum rotatably mountedon said support and having ends with openings therein through which airmay circulate, the improvement which comprises a heating unit mountedopposite one end of said drum, said heating unit including a burnerchamber having a burner therein and a fine leading therefrom, said flueincluding an inverted U-shaped portion lying opposite said one end ofsaid drum, the lower end. of one leg of said inverted U-shaped portionof said flue opening into said burner chamber, a flue stack extendingupwardly from the top of said inverted U-shaped portion of said flue,and a baffle plate extending transversely across said flue from a regionnear the top of said inverted U- shaped portion to a point in proximityto but spaced from the bottom of said other leg portion 7 or saidinverted U-shaped portion, said baii'ie being positioned to cause fluegases to pass up through one leg of said U-shaped portion, then downsaid other leg on one side of said baiiie and back up said lastmentioned leg on the other side of said baiiie and out through saidstack, a plurality of open-ended tubes extending transversely throughsaid inverted U-shaped portion of said flue and having one set ofopenends facing said one end of said drum. and

means for circulating air through said tubes and into said drum.

10. In an article drier including a support and a drum rotatably mountedon said support, and having ends with openings therein through which airmay circulate, the improvement which comprises a heating unit mountedopposite one end of said drum, said heating unit including a burnerchamber having a burner therein and a flue leading therefrom, said fluebeing located in close proximity to said drum and opposite said one endof said drum, a plurality of openended tubes extending transverselythrough said flue and having one set of open ends facing said one end ofsaid drum. said flue having a plurality oi flns on the exterior surfaceof said flue, said flns lying in planes extending parallel to the axisof rotation of said drum, a shield extending over the outer edges ofsaid fins, and means for circulating air through said tubes into saiddrum and also between said flns and into said drum.

11. In an article drier including a support and a, drum rotatablymounted on said support and having ends with openings therein throughwhich air may circulate, the improvement which comprises a heating unitmounted opposite one end of said drum, said heating unit including aburner chamber having a burner therein and a flue leading therefrom,said flue including an inverted U-shaped portion lying opposite said oneend of said drum, the lower end of one leg oi said inverted U-shapedportion of said flue opening into said burner chamber, a flue stackextending upwardly from the top of said inverted U-shaped portion ofsaid flue, and a bailie plate extending transversely across said fluefrom a region near the top of said inverted U- shaped portion to a pointin proximity to but spaced from the bottom of said other leg pertion ofsaid inverted Li-shaped portion, said baf- 5 lie being positioned tocause flue gases to pass up through one leg of said U-shaped portion,then down said other leg on one side of said baflie and back up saidlast mentioned leg on the other side of said baflle and out through saidstack, a plurality of open-ended tubes extending transversely throughsaid inverted U-shaped portion of said flue and having one set ofopenends racing said one end of said drum, said baifle plate having atleast one bleeder hole there- I n 8 through in the vicinity of said iiuestack through which a portion or the gases or combustion may passdirectly from the upper end of said one leg into said flue stack, andmeans for circulating air through said tubes and into said drum.

12. In an article drier including a support and a rotatable shaftmounted on said support for rotation about substantially a horizontalaxis and a drum secured to one end of said shaft and carried thereby,having cylindrical and end wall portions, said cylindrical wall portionsbeing imperiorate and each of said end walls having a central openingtherein, the improvementwhich comprises a heating unit mounted on saidsupport, said heating unit including a burner chamber having a burnertherein and a flue leading therefrom, said flue including an invertedU-shaped portion straddling said shaft and lying opposite the opening inthe end wall portion which is adjacent said shaft, and a plurality ofopen-ended tubes extending transversely through said inverted U-shapedportion of said flue, and means for circulating air through said tubesand then through said drum.

13. In an article drier including a support, a drum rotatably mounted onsaid support and having ventilated end panels for permitting air flowlongitudinally through the drum. the improvement which comprises ablower positioned adjacent one end of said drum and a heater memberpositioned adjacent an end of said drum having a plurality of open-endedheated tubes facing said drum end through which drying air is directedby said blower prior to passage into said drum.

14. In an article drier including a support and a drum rotatably mountedon said support and having ventilated end panels for permitting air flowlongitudinally through the drum, the improvement which comprises ablower axially aligned with said drum and positioned adjacent one end ofsaid drum and a heater member positioned between said blower and saiddrum having a plurality of heated tubes through which drying air isdirected by said blower prior to passage into said drum.

PETER EDUARD GELDHOF.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the the ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS

